Sights, sounds at Hoag loathed

Hoag Hospital neighbors complained Thursday to the Newport Beach Planning Commission about industrial noise and the plumes of exhaust and steam from a power station that block their ocean views.

“Before the plant was built, we had nothing but ocean breezes and ocean views; it’s quite noisy,” said Erik Thurnher, co-chairman of a residents’ committee formed to address the issue.

Hoag wants permission from the city to shift up to 225,000 square feet of building space from its lower campus, which stretches along Pacific Coast Highway to its upper campus bordering Newport Boulevard. The reallocation of unbuilt space would allow the hospital to expand in-patient services on its upper campus, Hoag officials said.

“We are looking at the aging community, and we know we’re going to need more in-patient care,” said Debra Legan, vice president marketing and corporate communications at Hoag.

Hoag officials also want some slack on city-imposed noise limits. Noise generated by loading docks and rooftop mechanical equipment regularly exceeds the 55-decibel limit, according to a city-commissioned report on noise levels. Noise in some residential areas around the hospital reaches 67 decibels, according to the report. The hospital has asked the city for a 70-decibel limit in some areas during the daytime. According to the Centre for Human Performance & Health, 70 decibels is about as loud as a normal conversation.

Hoag has also proposed building a 25-foot wall to shield its neighbors from the noise, and installing double-paned windows in some nearby homes, among other solutions.

“We ask that the 70 decibels be the worst case, so that we would be able to be within a standard,” said Carol McDermott, a consultant for Hoag. “We don’t like to be out of conformance.”

In return for these requests, Hoag would give the city $3 million in development fees for the city to use on road improvements and other city projects.

Residents at the Villa Balboa condominium complex, which boarders Hoag on two sides, say the hospital should heed their demands for a quieter neighborhood with cleaner air before the city grants Hoag’s requests.

The residents say there’s already too much neighborhood noise from the hospital, and that no new noise allowances should be made for Hoag’s supply trucks and mechanical equipment. They also say they worry about the negative health effects the power station’s emissions could have on their families.

“I look at the vapors and exhaust that’s coming from the towers, and I don’t think enough has been done to see the what the health ramifications are,” said Villa Balboa Wendy Kaiser. “Nobody’s watching what’s going on or is taking responsibility.”

Discussion on the issue was expected late Thursday to spill over into the next Planning Commission meeting, Feb. 7.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at [email protected].